Office Misconceptions Revealed

A typical day in the office might involve a request to stock up on printer ink or re-order printer paper – all common and understandable terms, certainly.

But, according to research by HR consultancy Reabur, when it comes to terminology like "in lieu", "annual leave" and "blue sky thinking", some office workers are thoroughly confused.

The firm's survey of 1,103 employees throughout the UK reveals glaring lapses when it comes to the most basic of terms in the office lexicon.

Some 14 per cent of respondents thought the phrase "time off in lieu" actually meant time spent in the loo, while four per cent thought it meant a holiday in a place called Lieu. Forgivable, perhaps – it does sound like a quaint French seaside town.

For 13 per cent of those surveyed, "annual leave" – which the majority of office workers are certainly fully aware of – means time off for a whole year. Six per cent thought it meant time off for training.

The phrase "blue sky thinking", trumpeted by David Brents up and down the land, meant working outside for nine per cent of respondents.

Bizarrely, almost one in five of those surveyed, 19 per cent, thought "flexi-time" meant some kind of office aerobics. And four per cent said it was a type of watch.

Perhaps we'd better leave it there.

Recently, Lexmark released the results of a survey which suggested many office workers aren't utilising wireless printing in the workplace. Seven out of ten staff have access to wireless technology, yet still use a cable to link their PC to a printer.